Wire connecter



Jan. 15, 1929; i 1599,21!

J. K. ROSE WIRE CONNECTBR Filed Jan. 10, 1927 Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

UNITED STATES JOSEPH K. B OSE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

, WIRE ooNNno'rnn.

Application filed January 10, 1927. Serial No. 160,017.

This invention relates to wire connectors or clamps for uniting andelectrically connecting current wires, although applicable to otheruses, and the object of the invention is to afford a tight mechanicalclamp for holding the wires against displacement, and at the same timeinsure a close electrical contact between the wires and the connectingor clamping member, so that the latter will serve in the capacity of aconductor.

A further object pertains to the provision made for connecting wires ofdifferent diameters, or for clamping the member to a single wire, as thecase may be, as well as to its use in connection with wires of uniformdiameter.

The device is so designed that it may be readily stamped out of a sheetor plate of metal, or other suitable material, if any, and to the meansprovided for holding the parts in clamping relation with one another.

Further objects will appear from a detailed description of theinvention, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure1 is a perspective view of the connecter in its preferred form;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a rear face view of thefemale member,

Fig. l is a sectional view showing a slight ly modified form ofconnecting screw;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the male clamping membertilted to clamp a single wire;

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are views in section showing modifications in theformation of the male member; and

Fig. 9 is an elevation of the device used in connection with a wiresplice.

The wire connecter or clamp consists of a male member A and a femalemember B. Each of the members is of rectangular shape and preferablystamped out of a sheet or late of conducting metal, such as copper. Bothof the members are preferably of equal length, but the femalemember ispreferably of greater width than the male member.

The male member is provided on each of its side edges with an inturnedflange or tongue 10, which, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, 4: and 5, mayhave a smooth inner acting edge; or said edge may be configured, asindicated in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, to present either a slightly concavedface 11 or a V-shaped channeled face 12, or a series of serrations 13,as the case may be.

The coacting female member is provided along each of its side edges witha groove 14 of a size and shape to receive the tongues, which groovesmay be provided with slightly rounded base walls 15. The base walls ofthese grooves, however, may be otherwise formed, as, for example, byfollowing the general form which the male member has taken in Figs. 6 to8 inclusive. The rear outer face of the female member 13 may be providedwith a cross channel 16, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. or said facemayv be plain, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5.

The clamping members or plates are held in clamping relation by theprovision of a screw 17, which is disposed centrally of the plates andin intermediate relation between the tongues and grooves. The screw isprovided with a head 18, and the male member in each instance isprovided with a smooth bore 19, which permits the screw to be freelyentered through the male member. The female member may be provided witha threaded bore 20, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, or the female membermay be provided with a smooth bore 21,-as indicated in Fig. 2. lVhere asmooth bore is employed, the screw must of necessity be used inconjunctionwith a nut 22, which preferably occupies the channel 16,which is thus held against turning while the screw is being drawn up,although a similar nut 23 may be employed in conjunction with thethreaded bore 20 in the female member, in which case the nut will actmerely as a jamb nut to assist in preventing the loosening of the screw.

Other variations in detail may suggest thennselves, and it is not theintention, unless otherwise indicated in the claims, to limit theinvention precisely to the forms indicated, since the principle of theinvention is one which permits of its embodiment in other modifications.

In use, the wires 24 and 25 are laid within or wires 26 and 27, as inFig. 9, may be spliced together by leading the oppositely disposed endsthrough the wire connecter, and afterwards twisting or coiling the endsas indicated. Wires of different diameters may be connected, or a singlewire may be clamped, as in Fig. 5, in either of which latter cases themale member is tilted more i or less, and one of the tongues will act asa fulcrum, lying within its channel in the female member, while theother tongue is elevated toward the mouth of the channel, to a greateror less degree.

In these circumstances, although the male member is tilted, it willstill retain full engagement with the female member, so thatdisplacement of the parts will be prevented, and the screw will tend tobear down the male member sufficiently to effect a firm and rigidclamping of the parts. The male member thus acts on the lever principleunder the influence of the screw, so that a full clamping effect will besecured irrespective of variations in the size of the wires, and even tothe point of permitting a complete elimination of one of thewires.

By employing coacting tongues and grooves of the character indicated,the clamping members will be positively interengaged at all times, sothat any lateral or r'otative displacement of the parts will beprevented, and the screw can be turned down as tightly as possiblewithout any tendency to rotate the clamping members on one another, andwithout setting up any abrasive action against the surfaces of thewires, which are simply compressed and clamped by the interlockingaction of the tongues and grooves.

The device as a whole is of extremely simple formation and may bereadily stamped from copper or the like, which reduces the cost ofmanufacture to a minimum.

I claim:

1. A wire connecter, comprising two clamping plates, one of said platesbeing provided with a pair of tongues extending longitudinally of saidplates and the second plate being provided with a pair of longitudinallyextending grooves of a width to closely receive said tongues to encloseand clamp a wire running lengthwise along the base of one of thegrooves, and means for drawing the plates into clamping relation.

2. A wire connecter, comprising two clamping plates, one of said platesbeing provided with a pair of tongues extending longitudinally of saidplate and the second plate being provided with a recess on its outersurface and with a pair of longitudinally extending grooves on its innersurface of a width to closely receive said tongues, and a clamping screwextending through said plates and having a nut seated in the recess insaid second plate.

3. A wire connecter, comprising two clamping plates one of said platesbeing provided on its inner surface with a pair of parallel spacedgrooves and on its outer surface with a recess disposed between saidgrooves and the second plate being provided with inwardly extendingtongues adapted to closely fit within said grooves, and a headedscrewfreely entered through said second plate and extending through saidfirst plate and having a nut adapted to be seated within and held by therecess in the outer face of said first plate.

JOSEPH K. ROSE.

